“I knew from the beginning you were intelligent.”
Orion nodded then gasped as Brett wrapped a hand around his cock. Brett’s other hand cupped his ass, pulling him closer. Orion closed his eyes as sensations ricocheted through his body. He’d never once believed anything could be so good, could feel so right. Brett found a reason to touch him even when they weren’t alone. It made Orion feel cared about. Wanted. Any questions he had about Brett’s comment dissolved in a haze of sensory overload.
Orion groaned as Brett stroked his cock. Brett rolled them over so Orion was lying on the bed under him. Orion loved the weight pressing down on to him and wondered how it would feel to have the other man fuck him. Would Brett slam into him? Would Orion feel him all day? Would Brett be slow and gentle, ensuring they both were satisfied? Would Brett want Orion to fuck him? Orion bit his lip. He didn’t have any experience topping someone.
Brett kissed him and pushed aside any thoughts he had.
Orion ran his hands up Brett’s back, pulling him closer as the older man devoured his mouth. He wove his hands through Brett’s short, light-brown strands. Brett released him and kissed a trail along Orion’s jaw and down his chest to his left nipple, catching it between his teeth. He bit gently, laving and sucking on it before biting it again. Orion squirmed and called out, arching his body, wanting and needing more.
Brett shifted positions taking most of the weight off Orion. Shock and deprivation circled Orion then fled as Brett squeezed his cock. Brett released his nipple only to attack the other one. Orion hissed, yelled Brett’s name.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Brett said, releasing Orion’s nipple and blowing across it.
Enveloped in growing need, Orion relaxed and allowed Brett to guide him.
“Wrap your legs around my waist.”
Orion obeyed. The movement put their cocks together. Orion moaned his pleasure. A cap opened and closed out of his line of sight. A slick hand wrapped around his shaft, pressing it together with Brett’s. Bliss ricocheted off every nerve ending.
Brett leaned down and kissed him as his hand began moving. Slow and gentle, Brett’s grip changed slightly and stroked them from base to head. Orion arched his back and called out as Brett’s thumb grazed the tip, pressing down on the slit before moving back down.
“More. Please more,” Orion begged, his hands digging into Brett’s back. He wanted more. Needed more.
Brett increased his speed and pressure. Orion called out Brett’s name. The tingling at the base of his spine grew, racing through his body and igniting every nerve ending as Orion headed toward the cliff and into oblivion. Atop him, Brett tensed and yelled. Orion shuddered and came. Long ropes of cum landing on his chest. Brett continued stroking their cocks several more times before collapsing on the bed next to him. Still breathing hard, Brett reached out and pulled Orion close to him until Orion was half-laying on the older man.
“Never…so good,” Orion stammered. He tried, unsuccessfully, to bully his brain and body into cooperating.
“Shh. Relax, we have time,” Brett said, hugging him tighter.
Orion nodded and snuggled into Brett. He enjoyed this. Just being able to cuddle with someone, to know that he could trust them. There was safety in Brett’s arms that he couldn’t remember feeling before. For now at least, he could believe that Brett was all his and that nothing else mattered.
* * * *
“Sir, there’s a man here demanding to see Special Staff Member Hellman,” Thompson said, his voice low enough that both Brett and Orion could here.
“Did he ask for him by name?” Brett asked.
“Yes, Lieutenant DeMarco, he did.”
Brett’s gaze swung to Orion. He was getting better at reading his lover, but the younger man had years of covering his reactions and ensuring people saw only what he wanted them to see. There was a slight pull on the right side of Orion’s face. Brown eyes flashed up at Brett, steeled then turned to Thompson.
“Who is he?”
“Sergeant Aaron Davis. He says he’s Corporal Jonah Miller’s fiancé.”
It wasn’t a name Brett had heard before, but he’d heard of Corporal Miller. He’d been the one driving the truck the night they’d left the base. He’d been shot by security forces before they made it into the underground network.
“What do we know of Sergeant Davis?” Orion asked.
“I haven’t heard of him. He’s not someone I remember researching,” Brett answered.
“And you remember everyone you’ve ‘researched’?” Carter asked, disbelief coloring her voice.
“Yes. Digging through people’s lives, knowing that what you learn could change their lives forever, weighs on some people,” Brett admitted. “I’ve only forgotten once.” Those people been names and nobody he’d known. He’d been naive about his job, about what would happen with the information. He’d prepared dossiers on three people, found their connections and enough evidence to warrant further investigating. He’d assumed more questions would be asked and a more thorough investigation would be done. His boss had asked him for a sentencing recommendation after reading the report. Brett had shrugged and replied that treason was a capitol offense, punishable by death. Ten days later the trio had been marched into the square outside the regional government office where they’d lived and shot. It hadn’t been mentioned in the news feeds. Brett had only found about it a few days later when his boss had come by and told him “good call”. Brett had been confused but accepted the words. He’d been more than confused when he’d found out no other investigation had been carried out. He’d returned to his quarters that night and thrown up.
Orion held up his hand. “Fine, Carter, what do you know about him?”
The woman turned to a computer before answering. “Artillery. Youngest of five. Engaged to Corporal Jonah Miller. Informant.”
“That’s it?” Brett asked.
“I can pull up more. But it’s enough to establish he probably isn’t working with the government,” Carter replied, returning to her seat.
“Let him in then,” Orion answered.
Thompson nodded and retraced his steps to the door. Brett stood, positioning himself between Orion and where Miller’s fiancé would stand. He was taking no chances with his lover’s safety. Orion was his, and he had no intention of letting anyone hurt his man.
Several long minutes passed before a man was shown in. He wasn’t what Brett had pictured. Davis’ camouflage uniform was wrinkled and stained. The man’s normally black boots were scuffed and dirty. There was a cut above his eye and blood at the corner of his lip. There was no visible holster for a weapon, but he looked as if he was used to having one or being around them. The name on the uniform matched what they’d been told. The soldier delved into his a pocket and retrieved a billfold, even as Thompson and Jackson’s weapons were drawn and pointed at him. Thompson moved and forced Davis to his knees.
Brett stepped forward, retrieved the wallet, opened it and looked through the contents. There were creases where the leather was worn from use and an indention where a wrapped condom sat. Several dollars sat along side a folded piece of paper and a worn photograph. Several strands of hair were tucked inside a small translucent envelope. Brett unfolded the letter and read it quickly, before nodding to Orion.
“Name,” Brett ordered.
“Sergeant Aaron Michael Davis, Fourth Artillery, Aelland Security Force. D-1791432A,” Aaron Davis said, his shoulders and back straight, his gaze shifting between Brett and Orion before settling on Orion.
“What is so urgent that you demanded to see us?” Brett asked.
“Sir, General Landry has pushed through legislation that sets harsher punishments for more offenses. Everything now has to be approved by the government.”
“What do you mean everything?” Brett demanded, aware of Orion tensing beside him.
“There are life sentences for minor things, like breaking curfew. Just that, Sir, everything. Rules about the food people
are allowed to grow and sell. What clothes can be made, worn and sold. Who can buy what. Every business license is being pulled and reviewed. Anyone denied a business license will have their inventory seized and will be taxed accordingly,” Aaron replied. “All military personnel are being ordered onto the bases along with their immediate families. Government officials will be moved into approved housing complexes. Curfews will be in effect for everyone, and no one will be allowed out of their respective compounds for any reason.”
“They’re going to criminalize everyone,” Carter said flatly.
Aaron nodded. “Yes, ma’am. It gets worse.”
“Worse how?” Brett asked, stepping forward. Orion laid a staying hand on his arm.
“Anyone found to have a family member who’s guilty of crimes against the government will receive the same punishment.”
“A family member? Immediate or—”
“It’s general,” Aaron said, hesitating before continuing. “So it could be immediate or distant. It could be anyone in the family.”
“That’s insane!” The room erupted into noise as everyone started talking at once.
“Silence!” Orion shouted. “You’re sure of this?”
“You…you talk?” Aaron gasped. “Yes.”
“Do you have proof?” Brett asked.
“Of most of it. I kept copies of the memos that came down,” Aaron answered. “They came down over the last couple of days. I ran as soon as I could. I have the memos—everything I could get—in my backpack.”
“Why didn’t you leave the base earlier?” Brett asked as Thompson spoke to another guard. “When your fiancé did.”
“We’d been arguing, he thought we should leave and I wanted to stay. I dropped him off. He said goodbye and that he’d see me when he’d see me. I knew he was leaving that night. Our engagement paperwork had never been turned in, so I wasn’t connected to him until the day I left. I overheard a couple of people talking about me, so I snuck away.”
“Alter our plans so the protesters are supported in any way that we can. Find out everything we can. We need to be able to tell people the truth,” Orion said firmly. A guard returned with a battered brown backpack and set in on the table.
“You talk. How—” Aaron said stumbling over the words.
“Which is something no one else can know,” Brett said, his hand slipping to his side arm.
“I understand.” Aaron nodded. “The notes are in the front pocket. Can I see Jonah now, please?”
“Yes. Thompson, have someone take him to see Corporal Miller, please,” Orion ordered while Brett dug the papers out.
“Yes, Sir.”
Brett waited until Aaron left the room, before he and Orion turned back to the table along with everyone else. He sat down next to Orion and reached for his hand. The government’s moves would legalize severe penalties for any reason. The new laws would prevent other nations from intervening in anything that happened to Aelland’s own citizens.
“What else do we know?” Orion asked.
“The borders were closed this afternoon until further notice, and all foreign personnel have been ordered out of the country,” Paul answered. “It appears Landry is trying to completely close off the country from the rest of the world.”
“I agree,” Orion said, leaning back in the chair. “She’s trying to control everything and everyone. I’m not sure if she’s paranoid, or if she is trying for world domination. Either way, it’s dangerous.”
“Knowing her motivation isn’t going to change anything,” Brett said flatly.
“No, it won’t.” Orion shook his head, leaned forward and placed his arms on the table. “I heard a story once, years ago. At the time, it sounded too fantastic to be real, but now, I’m not so sure. At one time, this country was the leader in science and medicine, and it was the home to a multitude of religions. We were the wealthiest country in the world and fought tyranny and oppression. I think the proof is in on the base, along with information about what went wrong.”
“There’s no way the government would keep something like that around.”
“Probably not, but if they did, it would be under some of the tightest security in the world,” Orion answered.
Brett stared at Orion, wondering what the other man knew. He took a deep breath then let it out slowly while he tried to make sense of everything he knew about his lover. Special Staff Member to General Reynolds. The only surviving son of a national hero. An illiterate mute. Hairless. Purposely seen as stupid. Deference from others. Lieutenant Colonel Janice Hellman, national hero. The Hellman family had been an influential military family for generations. Orion was the last member of that family after a series of accidents, illnesses and deaths within a few short years. The one person Brett knew who had questioned it had been found dead in a river several miles from the Presidential Palace in the capitol.
Brett inhaled sharply and turned toward Orion as he realized one of the most influential families in the country had formed the Citizens for a Free Aelland. Did that mean Orion was a willing participant, or was he a pawn? What did that mean for him and Orion? For their future? If Orion’s life had been designed with one purpose in mind, was there any room in it for Brett? For a family?
Chapter Nine
Brett rubbed the back of his neck and sat down in the hard-back chair next to Orion. In the two days since he’d received the video, they’d watched the number of protesters who’d filed into the capitol and every major city grow exponentially. Yesterday, news of a third raid targeting those families who had demanded to see institutionalized loved ones had sparked unparalleled anger as people were arrested, found guilty of treason and executed. Paul had informed them that international community appeared to be watching and trying to pressure the Aelland government. The members of the Citizens For A Free Aelland that he’d met seemed to be taking it as a sign that their mission would succeed.
Their attack would begin tomorrow. They’d spent the last few hours finalizing last minute details. They would go after Fort Tottenham the base that had been Brett’s home and where he’d served for the majority of his time in the military. From there, about half of their remaining force would move two hours south and join the attack on the capitol.
“Remind the detail that secures the archives not to destroy anything. The same goes for the possessions in General Reynolds’ office, if at all possible,” Orion said before taking a drink from his water bottle then setting it down on the table. Orion had informed them yesterday morning about the archive building on base. Brett had been shocked. The place had been listed as a memorabilia center on all of the documentation he’d seen, but with the level of security Orion had described and lack of visible artifacts, Brett had to agree with his lover’s assessment. Anything needing a high level of security could be placed there. There was an artillery unit and an elite forces unit stationed at that base.
“Yes, Sir,” several people chorused.
Brett looked around the table at the eleven other people sitting there. He knew all of them by face and either their first or last names. In the time he’d been there, he seen the distrust begin to slip away. Conversations were still stopped when he approached, and he knew his statements were still verified as much as possible. It didn’t surprise him and bothered him less than he would have thought it would. No group with this much secrecy and this much at stake would trust him just because he’d sworn allegiance and was dating their leader. The men and women Orion trusted believed completely in their mission and its success. Brett was proud of the changes that seemed to overtake his lover. His voice had grown stronger, and confidence radiated off him in a way it never had before. Every word he spoke or wrote was believed. Brett had yet to hear a negative word said about Orion from anybody.
He took a deep breath then let it out slowly. He helped when and where he could. Most of the time he acted as Orion’s assistant. A job he relished. Thompson and Jackson had both agreed to be Orion’s personal bodyguards. Initially, there
had been some anger from Thompson toward Brett, since Thompson had been the one to help Orion before Brett had shown up. Orion’s trust had helped ease the tension between them.
Orion along with the ten other people who made up the leadership of the group were hands on, getting know people, listening to suggestions and concerns, giving credit where it was due and asking questions and opinions. Few people outside the small group knew Orion could talk, but it didn’t seem to matter to the people who would be fighting with them and for them.
Orion’s newfound confidence still hadn’t transitioned into the bedroom, however, though they’d enjoyed mutual blowjobs several times. Orion preferred to snuggle when they were together, and Brett didn’t want pressure the man he was quickly falling for.
Last night, they’d been in bed for only a couple hours before Orion had been summoned back to the situation room. He’d returned to the room for a few more hours of sleep before they were both needed. While Brett appreciated Orion letting him sleep, he worried about the toll the long hours, lack of sleep and little food had on his lover.
“Double check the perimeter security and make sure everyone stays in a communication blackout. The last thing we need is for someone to know what we’re up to,” Orion said quietly.
“Yes, Sir. I’ll double check security and will remind section leaders about the communication blackout,” Carter said, standing.
Brett and Orion stood with everyone else. The room cleared as everyone left to ensure final preparations.
“Can I make a suggestion?” Brett asked, whispering in Orion’s ear.
The shorter man nodded.
“Food and rest. If we’re moving tonight, it’s essential that everyone, especially you, is a hundred percent,” Brett said. Orion was exhausted. Brett could see it in the other man’s eyes and read it in his body language. Orion nodded but didn’t say anything.
Brett stood and followed Orion out of the room and toward their quarters, with Thompson and Jackson on their heels. Brett tensed then forced himself to relax. He missed the weight of a weapon. Everyone around him armed, but he wasn’t. He’d voluntarily returned Orion’s side arm after the supply run. Too many people still didn’t trust him. He understood. Trusting few had kept them off the government’s radar and out of prison for years.
Changing Tides Page 10
